Yield: about 8 cups
Servings: 8–10
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 20–30 minutes if starting with raw chicken
Chill: 1–2 hours
Total: about 2 hours
The general combination of chicken, mayonnaise, celery/green onion and seasonings is consistent with classic chicken-salad recipes.
Ingredients
Chicken
2½ lb (1.1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried dill
4 cups chicken broth or water
1 bay leaf, optional
Creamy dressing
1½ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon black pepper
½–1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
Vegetables & herbs
¾ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped green onions/scallions
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1–2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, optional
Optional additions
For a sweeter deli-style version:
½ cup finely diced green grapes
For crunch:
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
For extra savory flavor:
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For the closest match to your photograph, I would leave out the grapes and nuts.
Full Recipe
1. Cook the chicken
Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan.
Add:
broth/water
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
parsley
dill
bay leaf
Bring to a gentle simmer.
Don’t aggressively boil the chicken because that can make the meat tougher.
Cook until the thickest part reaches 165°F / 74°C. USDA recommends 165°F as the safe minimum internal temperature for poultry.
Remove the chicken and allow it to cool enough to handle.
2. Shred the chicken
This is very important for matching your picture.
Don’t dice the chicken into cubes.
Instead, shred it into small, thin strands.
Best method
Put warm chicken into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on low for approximately 20–40 seconds.
Stop as soon as the chicken becomes shredded.
Or use two forks and pull the chicken apart by hand.
For the photograph, aim for:
small shredded strands rather than large chunks.
3. Make the creamy dressing
In a large bowl combine:
mayonnaise
sour cream
softened cream cheese
Dijon mustard
lemon juice
lemon zest
garlic powder
onion powder
dill
black pepper
salt
sugar, if using
Mix until completely smooth.
Important
Your cream cheese should be softened before mixing.
Cold cream cheese can leave little lumps throughout the dressing.
This same principle is used in creamy spinach-artichoke mixtures: room-temperature cream cheese combines much more smoothly with mayonnaise and sour cream.
4. Add the vegetables
Add:
celery
green onion
parsley
dill
chives
Mix gently.
For the appearance in your photograph, chop everything very finely.
You don’t want large pieces of celery or onion.
5. Combine chicken and dressing
Add approximately 6 cups shredded chicken to the dressing.
Fold everything together.
Don’t mash the chicken.
You want the dressing to coat each strand while keeping the shredded texture.
6. Adjust the consistency
This is where you can make it look almost exactly like the photograph.
For a very thick mixture
Add:
½ cup additional shredded chicken
or
1–2 tablespoons softened cream cheese.
For a creamier mixture
Add:
1–2 tablespoons mayonnaise at a time.
For a looser salad
Add:
1 tablespoon sour cream at a time.
Don’t add a large amount of liquid at once.
7. Taste and adjust
Taste after everything is mixed.
You may need:
more salt → stronger overall flavor
lemon → brighter flavor
Dijon → more savory/sharp
dill → more herbaceous
mayonnaise → richer/creamier
sour cream → tangier
black pepper → more bite
Remember that chilling will slightly mute the flavors.
8. Refrigerate
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2 hours is even better.
This allows the chicken to absorb the dressing and herbs.
The consistency should become thicker after chilling.
9. Portion like the photograph
The containers in your picture look like individual meal-prep portions.
For approximately 8 containers, put around:
1 cup chicken salad per container.
For smaller portions, use:
¾ cup per container.
Keep refrigerated.
USDA recommends storing perishable foods in shallow containers and using most cooked leftovers within 3–4 days. Food should not remain at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the ambient temperature is above 90°F/32°C.
How to Serve It
Sandwich
Put approximately ¾–1 cup chicken salad between two slices of:
sourdough
croissant
brioche
white bread
multigrain bread
Add lettuce and tomato if desired.
Wrap
Use:
flour tortilla
spinach tortilla
low-carb wrap
Add lettuce, cucumber and tomato.
Lettuce cups
Spoon into:
butter lettuce
romaine
iceberg
Crackers
Use the chicken salad as a dip/spread with sturdy crackers.
Nut Information / Allergen Information
If by “nut info” you mean nuts and allergens, the basic recipe above is nut-free by ingredients.
Basic recipe contains
Egg — commonly present in mayonnaise
Milk — cream cheese and sour cream
Mustard — Dijon mustard
Does not intentionally contain
Peanuts
Tree nuts
Wheat
Soy
Sesame
Fish
Shellfish
However, packaged mayonnaise, mustard, seasonings and other ingredients can have different formulations or cross-contact warnings, so check the actual labels if you’re preparing this for someone with an allergy. FDA recognizes milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame as the nine major food allergens in the U.S.
If you WANT nuts
Add:
½ cup finely chopped pecans
or
½ cup finely chopped walnuts.
Fold them in at the very end.
For the closest match to your picture, don’t add them.
Approximate Nutrition
For approximately 1 cup, assuming the base recipe without grapes or nuts:
Nutrient Approx.
Calories 450–500
Protein 45–50 g
Carbohydrates 5–7 g
Fat 27–32 g
Saturated fat 6–8 g
Fiber 1–2 g
Sugar 2–4 g
Sodium 700–900 mg
These are estimates. The actual numbers can change substantially depending on the mayonnaise, cream cheese, chicken and amount of salt used.
For comparison, a Mayo Clinic chicken-salad sandwich recipe reports 310 calories and 29 g protein per sandwich using a lighter mayonnaise-based preparation.To Make It LOOK Like Your Photo
The most important details are:
1. Shred, don’t cube
The chicken should look almost like pulled chicken.
2. Finely chop the green ingredients
Your scallions/herbs should be small green flecks throughout the mixture.
3. Use enough dressing
The picture shows a very creamy, heavily coated chicken mixture.
4. Don’t add grapes
Grapes would make it visibly different from the pictured mixture.
5. Don’t add large celery pieces
Finely minced celery is much closer to the texture shown.
6. Chill before portioning
Cold chicken salad holds its shape much better.
Q&A
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes — and it’s probably the easiest option.
Use about 2½ lb cooked rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and bones, and shred the meat.
Because rotisserie chicken is already seasoned, start with less added salt and adjust at the end.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Absolutely.
Chicken thighs are actually excellent for chicken salad because they stay moist and have more flavor.
Use approximately 2½ lb boneless, skinless thighs.
Why is my chicken salad watery?
Usually because:
chicken wasn’t cooled/drained properly
celery released water
too much lemon juice was added
vegetables were wet
dressing contained too much sour cream
Drain/dry vegetables well and add acidic ingredients gradually.
Why is mine dry?
Add mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Can I make it without cream cheese?
Yes.
Replace the 4 oz cream cheese with approximately:
¼ cup additional sour cream + ¼ cup mayonnaise.
The result will be softer and less dense.
Can I make it without mayonnaise?
Yes.
Use:
1½ cups Greek yogurt + 2 tablespoons olive oil
instead of the mayonnaise.
It will taste tangier and be less rich.
Can I use Miracle Whip?
Yes, but reduce or omit the sugar because Miracle Whip is sweeter than traditional mayonnaise.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes.
Replace:
sour cream → dairy-free sour cream or unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
cream cheese → dairy-free cream cheese
Check labels for allergens and cross-contact.
Can I make it egg-free?
Use an egg-free mayonnaise.
Can I freeze chicken salad?
I don’t recommend freezing this creamy version.
Mayonnaise and dairy-based ingredients can separate after thawing, and celery can become watery and soft.
For best quality, make it fresh and refrigerate it.
How long does it last?
Keep it refrigerated at 40°F / 4°C or below and use within about 3–4 days.
Can I leave these containers on the counter?
No.
Because this contains cooked chicken and a creamy dressing, treat it as a perishable food. USDA recommends discarding perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.
Can I make this for meal prep?
Yes. That’s actually ideal for this recipe.
Prepare it, chill it thoroughly, divide into individual containers and refrigerate.
How much chicken salad should go in each container?
For the size of containers shown:
¾–1 cup per container is a good portion.
Can I add boiled eggs?
Yes.
Add 3–4 finely chopped hard-boiled eggs.
That makes it richer and more traditional in some chicken-salad variations, but it will no longer be egg-free.
Can I add pickles?
Definitely.
Add:
¼–½ cup finely chopped dill pickles
and reduce the lemon juice slightly.
What gives it that deli flavor?
The combination of:
mayonnaise + a little sour cream + Dijon + celery + green onion + dill + lemon + black pepper.
The small amount of Dijon and acid keeps a heavy mayonnaise-based salad from tasting flat.
Best Copycat Formula
If your goal is specifically to reproduce the containers in the photograph, I’d use this simplified ratio:
6 cups finely shredded cooked chicken
1½ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
¾ cup finely minced celery
½ cup green onion
¼ cup parsley
2 tbsp fresh dill
2 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
salt to taste
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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